


These traveled paths we walk

by romnovs (tashatops)



Category: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Canon-Typical Violence, Eretria Is Not a Rover, F/F, Implied Self Destructing Tendencies, Rating May Change, Sharing a Bed, Swordfighting, but it's like an old fashioned road trip w no cars and lots of walking, eretria finally has some decent parent figures, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:45:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9983387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tashatops/pseuds/romnovs
Summary: Amberle and Eretria are both running away from something when their paths collide, and they decide they're probably better off together anyways.or,AU where Amberle is not a princess and Eretria is not a Rover, but they stil find each other.





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is a little something that wouldn't leave my mind, I really hope you enjoy! I'll try to update regularly once a week, and there may be smut later so the rating may change!

The first time Amberle and Eretria meet it’s at the side of the old, dusty Hailroad. It is not a path many travel anymore, instead choosing the safety of the Kingsroad, but Eretria knows this trail like the back of her hand from spending most of her childhood in these lands with her father. She knows the mountains to the East, the woods that surround it to the West, the animals that inhabit it, and the people who do as well. She knows she ought to watch out from them; Rovers have never been good news, in her experience.

She’s made her way out of the trail and past the lines of trees in search for food; Eretria knows how to hunt, her father had taught her to do so as soon as she could hold a knife in her hand. It’d been important to know how to get food, especially since she’d grew up in a little town surrounded by forest and with almost no connection to any important roads which meant supplies could take weeks to arrive, so most of the times they had to fend for themselves. 

With her knife at the ready she trails through the grass, careful not to make too much noise. Even though her tracking skills are more than remarkable, she finds no signs of any living creature, no matter how much time she invests searching. And so, after wasting an hour for naught, she decides on a different course of action.

She’s picking up some berries, when it happens. She takes her time examining them and the plant it came from, the shape of its leaves, the color of its fruit. Once she’s made sure they’re edible (or as sure as she can be, anyway, she’s never been the best at this) she grabs a rag from her leather sack and starts picking them off. The rag is dirty and torn as she presses the berries onto it, sort of enchanted by their bright orange color, and she supposes she’ll have to wash them thoroughly before she eats them.

Lost in thought as she is, she doesn’t take notice of the stranger approaching until she feels a hand on her shoulder. Quickly, she jumps to her feet and unsheathes her dagger to point it at the stranger.

Eretria watches as the other woman takes a few steps back, stammering an apology. “I- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Her voice trembles slightly and she takes a deep breath before continuing. “It’s just, you do know those berries are poisonous, right?”

Eretria frowns in confusion as she lowers her gaze to the berries in her hand; she’d been sure these were the right ones.

“I can show you, if you want…” The woman trails off, but continues when Eretria nods in response. “Well, you see, this plant has leaves with ragged edges,” She explains as she crouches down next to the plant and gestures for Eretria to do the same. “It’s easy to get confused, since there’s another very similar plant which isn’t lethal,” She looks at Eretria. “But its leaves are different.”

“Huh.” Is all Eretria says in response. She stands up, sheathing her dagger back in her belt and dropping the berries to the ground. “I guess I should thank you…” She takes a look at the woman’s expensive (and not entirely travel-friendly) clothes before continuing, “Princess.”

At that, the stranger looks down to hide a slight blush before she stammers out an introduction. “Uh, not a princess” A small grin spreads across her face as she extends her hand to Eretria. “It’s Amberle, actually. Amberle Ellesedil.”

“Eretria.” She responds, taking Amberle’s hand and shaking it lightly.

There’s an awkward pause as Eretria puts her rag back in her sack, not bothering to fold it as she does so. She rolls her shoulders before taking a look at Amberle. She’s staring at the plant, seemingly fascinated by it, although Eretria’s not completely sure if Amberle is actually fascinated by it or if she’s just avoiding looking at Eretria.

She takes advantage of the moment to observe the other woman. Amberle’s clothes look comfortable enough, but not if she’s planning to be on the road for days. Still, with only a look at them (and her ears) Eretria can tell she’s highborn; only a wealthy family could afford to buy her such clothes. They do look good on her, though, and her hair frames her face in a way that leaves Eretria slightly breathless.

“Are you headed for the Union?”  Eretria asks. The Union was the trail that joined the Kingsroad with the Hailroad, and it was more heavily guarded than the one they were currently on.

Amberle nods her head, brown curls shaking slightly.

“So am I.” A pause, “Maybe we could walk together, it’s only half a day’s travel from here.”

Amberle only nods again in response.  Before leaving, Eretria checks her sack. The only thing she has to eat is some bread she bought in the last town she stopped at, a week ago, and it has become stale since then. _It will have to do_.

She starts leading them back to the road the same way she came. Amberle, though, makes them stop several times whenever she spots a bush with berries or a tree with ripe fruit; she says she’ll share some with Eretria before they part, because she does not want the girl to die from food poisoning.

Once, she crouches in front of a plant with small, red fruit, and, while she’s collecting it into her own sack, she asks Eretria to fetch the fruit from a tree a few feet ahead. When she turns around she has to choke back a laugh at Eretria’s current situation. The human is standing on the tips of her toes, trying to reach a fruit that hangs just above her fingertips; but, as much as Amberle tries to hold back her laughter, she can’t help but chuckle quietly at the sight. It only earns her a glare from Eretria (who also doesn’t manage to hide a grin of her own).

It doesn’t take them long to reach the Hailroad after that. “You seem to know a lot about plants.” Eretria observes once they do, not to break the silence, for it is a comfortable one, but because she is genuinely curious.

“Yeah, my mother always insisted I learn about them.” It is said far too formally, and with a smile that doesn’t quite reach Amberle’s eyes, so Eretria decides not to push the subject any further.

The sun is setting behind the trees and The Union is still a few hours away when they part way, since Eretria wants to find a place to set up camp in the forest while there is still daylight.

“I’m heading to a little town, along the mountains.” She tells Amberle. “It’s two days away from The Union; you only need to keep walking along the Hailroad.” She smiles at Amberle, before taking her hand and squeezing it, earning her another pretty blush from the Elf. “I guess I owe you, I mean, you did save my life after all. If you need help, you know where I’ll be.”

And with that, they both go their separate ways.

(That night, Eretria pretends she doesn’t spend a good amount of time thinking about brown curls and a pretty blush.)


	2. II.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now it's Eretria's turn to save Amberle's life.

The second time they run into each other, it is Eretria’s turn to save Amberle’s life.

She wakes up the morning after her first encounter with the other girl determined to cover at least half of the trail left, so that she’ll make it to her destination within the next two or three days.

Before she sets out she quickly gathers the few possessions she still has and double-checks to make sure the fire she built last night is properly put out. As she makes her way through the forest, she takes a bite out of a fruit Amberle had given her the day before.

Eretria walks for a few hours with the sun beating relentlessly on her back. She can’t help her thoughts from wandering to a certain Elf from time to time, and she berates herself half-heartedly for it (she’s always hated how easily infatuated she becomes with pretty girls).

She makes her way into the forest again, looking for a stream to freshen herself up in as she feels sweat starting to pool on her neck and across her chest.

By the time she makes it out to the trail once more, it’s almost noon. She walks on a few more miles until she hears a scream and the distinct sound of laughter. As she approaches the source of the sound, she sees four figures looming on the edge of the forest.  Walking forward carefully, she can now see that one of them, a woman, is being held against her will. She squints at them, trying to get a better look and when she does she can’t help but gasp.

Amberle.

Her brows are furrowed with terror, Eretria can see from her spot, and she looks disgusted when one of the men says something against her ear. From their clothing, she can tell they’re Rovers, and she’ll be damned if she lets them ruin anyone else’s life again.

Without thinking, Eretria moves towards them. “Hey, jerk!” She calls out to one of them and when he turns around she slams the hilt of her dagger on his temple, throwing him off balance for a few seconds before he falls to the ground. One down, two to go.

Lunging forward, Eretria attempts to knock another one just as quickly, but this one, a woman about her own age, is smarter. She side-steps and grabs Eretria by her jacket, throwing her to the ground. Looming over her the other woman smirks and pulls out her knife, but when she moves forward Eretria rolls away and grabs a handful of dirt to throw in the woman’s face. She plunges her dagger in the woman’s shoulder, nothing fatal, but it will keep her from wielding her weapon anytime soon.

She shoves the woman away before turning around to deal with the last one of them, only when she does she’s met with a panting Amberle, a sword on her hand,  standing above the last man, who’s on the ground with his hands up in surrender.

Eretria decides to act like the wild glint in Amberle’s eyes doesn’t stir something low and deep in her belly, and instead she moves to clap the Elf on the shoulder.

“Nice work, but we should get moving,” She suggests, “Rovers are never good news, and these forests are full of them.”

Amberle only nods in response, her gaze now far off and disbelieving, and Eretria grabs her arm and pulls her along quickly, before the Rovers can think twice about following them.

“So you know them, these Rover people?” Amberle asks, her eyebrows creasing with worry.

“Them, personally?” She asks, pointing back to where they came from. “No, but I know their kind.” Eretria has to shut her eyes to keep the images from her head, they still haunt her in her dreams, memories of blood and fire and a family she lost. When she opens her eyes again she finds Amberle’s frown has deepened, concern evident. “Relax, Princess. It’s a long story, perhaps it’d be best to leave it for another time.”

Sensing Eretria’s reluctance, Amberle doesn’t push the issue further and they walk in silence for a few more hours, until Eretria speaks up.

“Where’d you learn to swing that sword, Princess? You were pretty good back there.”

Amberle looks a bit flustered (and Eretria can’t help a little triumphant grin at that) before she responds, “My dad taught me how to fight, in case I ever needed to defend myself.”

“He taught you really well.” Eretria says.

“My technique is a bit rusty though, it’s been a while since I’ve done this. I could use some practice.” She confesses.

“Well, maybe we should stick together for a while; I could help you out with that.” Eretria suggests, and she’s not expecting the wide grin that touches Amberle’s lips.

“Yeah I um,” Amberle stumbles and cuts herself off, “I was actually looking for you when they found me.”

“Oh.” Is all Eretria replies, surprised, “I guess it’s a good thing I found you first, then.” Eretria says and then winks.

And there it is, that pretty flush again. Eretria is pretty sure she’d say just about anything to see it. Amberle only grins at her, and she smiles back until she figures it’s probably too weird to keep staring at the Elf.

“We can start practice tonight before sleeping, yeah?” She suggests.

Amberle only nods her head and doesn’t stop smiling while they continue on their trail.


	3. III.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of sexual tension ahead, you've been warned.
> 
> Also, bed sharing (!!!)

The sky is painted by different shades of blue and orange as the sun fades behind the horizon. The camp they’ve set up is quiet but for the crackling of fire and the clash of metal against metal. They’re both panting, but neither breaking eye contact with the other.

“Again.” Eretria commands and, without giving Amberle time to react, she lunges at her.

They’ve been at this for the good part of an hour, Amberle having insisted that they start as soon they finished setting up the camp. Sweat is starting to drip from their foreheads despite the cold weather, and Eretria takes a second to wipe it off with the back of her hand. Amberle takes the moment of distraction to knock the sword away from the human’s hand. Surprised, Eretria can’t help the gasp that escapes her. And when Amberle smirks at her, it sends shivers down her spine.

Quickly rolling out of the way and avoiding Amberle’s next thrust forward, Eretria grabs her dagger again and gets up into a battle stance just as fast. The Elf’s eyes widen and the next thing she knows her sword is out of her hand, her back against a tree and a dagger at her throat.

Eretria is looking at her so intently and with such fierce determination Amberle wishes she could look away. But, as it is, she’s lost in the Human’s gaze. She realizes with a start that Eretria’s face is only inches away from hers, and she can feel the other woman’s warm breath against her cheek with every hard pant. Amberle thinks about how easy it’d be to lean in and kiss her (if it wasn’t for the dagger against her throat, that is) and her gaze unconsciously drifts to the other woman’s lips. She starts to move forward and her eyes flutter shut and-

Eretria clears her throat loudly and slowly backs away, sheathing the dagger back in its place. “That was good practice.” She says, and if she sounds a little breathy neither of them comments on it.

Despite her shock, Amberle still manages to blush at the compliment, “Thanks.” She replies quietly.

-

“So, where are you headed, Princess?” Eretria asks that night over dinner, when they’re sitting around the campfire in an attempt to keep warm. They’re eating a roasted rabbit that fell in one of Eretria’s traps, and she thinks this is by far the best meal she’s had in days.

Amberle seems to consider her question for a while, a frown marring her features as she thinks, “I’m good with anywhere you want to go, as long as that’s far from home.”

Eretria’s eyes widen briefly and she arches a brow in response, “And where would that be?”

“The Knightsguard,” Amberle replies quietly, looking down as she does so.

“Wait, so you’re telling me your father is a knight? No wonder you can fight so well.”

“Well, my uncles are. My grandfather is the governor, and my dad is…” Amberle takes a deep breath before finishing. “He died in battle 6 years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Eretria replies. “Is that why you want to get away from home?” Eretria asks, knowing full well the pain of losing one’s parents, of being left with nothing but the need to run away from that hurt.

“Well, not entirely, I- I don’t want to talk about it.” Amberle looks apologetic when she says it.

“I understand.” Eretria’s gaze is so full of compassion that it makes Amberle wonder, not for the first time since they met, what happened to this woman that she seems to understand Amberle’s pain so well.

A heavy silence settles upon them and Eretria looks away, shifting awkwardly, and Amberle is thinking about something to say when she looks at Eretria- and laughs.

“What’s so funny?” Asks Eretria, scowling at the Elf.

“Here, let me…” She trails off and leans forward, noticing how Eretria stiffens in reaction, and brushes her thumb just below the corner of Eretria’s lip. “You need to start eating more slowly.”

Eretria’s scoff only deepens further, but when Amberle starts laughing, she can’t contain a chuckle of her own.

-

That night, when Amberle walks into the tent, Eretria’s already laying down burrowed in her furs. She takes a look at Amberle as she steps in and tries to smile her way, but she’s pretty sure it comes out as a grimace instead.

She averts her gaze quickly but from the corner of her eyes she sees Amberle pull things out of her bag: some water, and what look like… bed sheets?

“Really, Princess?” Eretria asks incredulously, “How have you survived the winter so far.”

Amberle gets flustered before answering, “It’s all I had time to grab. I couldn’t get my hands on any furs.”

“Well, you’re going to get your hands on some furs now.” Eretria says as she scoots back and lifts the covers to make room for the Elf.

“What?” Is all Amberle replies.

“I’m not letting you sleep in that, it’s freezing cold.” Eretria explains, “Come here.”

“Okay. I’ll join you in a second.” She says and Eretria sighs and rolls her eyes, dropping the furs.

Amberle leans down next to her bag and starts undoing both her braids, setting the metal holding them together down. When she’s done, she turns around to face Eretria and smiles nervously. As Amberle approaches Eretria is struck by how pretty she is, and something warm settles on her chest when the Elf smiles at her.

Eretria moves back and lifts the furs for Amberle again so the Elf can finally settle in. Amberle looks at Eretria’s face for a moment, her features illuminated by the soft glow of the campfire outside, and she has to look away not to kiss her. She turns around and closes her eyes; hearing Eretria take a deep breath and hoping sleep will find her soon.

A few minutes go by as they lay in silence when Amberle starts shivering. It’s really getting colder than they both anticipated, and she can feel Eretria trembling slightly as well. She shuts her eyes tighter trying to will herself to sleep already so that the morning sun will greet her warmly, but she jumps slightly as she suddenly feels a hand on her waist.

“Sorry.” Eretria says behind her, her voice low and apologetic, “I didn’t mean to wake you; it’s just getting really cold. Is this okay?”

Amberle only nods, not trusting her words since now her throat is dry. She feels Eretria’s hand creeping from her waist to her stomach as the human presses herself more firmly against Amberle’s back. And for all that she tries, Amberle can’t keep the smile off her face when Eretria speaks again.

“Good night, Princess.”


	4. IV.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get some insight into Amberle's past + something you've all been waiting for, probably ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd really like to apologise for not sticking to my regular schedule with this chapter. The thing is, we're looking at 2, maybe 3 more chapters and I had a really tough time figuring out exactly where I wanted to take this story, so that's why it took so long. 
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this chapter anyways, and as always comments are always appreciated :)

In the morning, Eretria wakes up with her arm around Amberle’s waist. She allows herself a small smile for a second, before she thinks better of it. She still hasn’t stopped to think about what her feelings for Amberle really mean, and she’d rather keep them locked tight in a box called Not Happening for now – at least until they get to their destination.

She quickly steps out of the tent, intent to find some more water and food before they depart. With any luck, they’ll get to the town by nightfall, but they can’t allow any detours to gather supplies, so they’ll have to make do with what the y have.

When Eretria gets back to camp, she finds Amberle has packed almost everything already, “Someone’s excited to go, huh?” She says in a teasing tone.

Amberle only offers a small little grin that makes Eretria’s heart beat a little faster, “Well, as a matter of fact, yes I am” She says, “This is the first time in weeks I have a destination in mind.” She adds, more quietly.

Eretria nods in response and sets to helping Amberle pack the rest of their things. She notices that Amberle has re-made her braids and finds herself quite charmed by the fact. However, she quickly has to look away when the Elf tries to sneak a glance her way.

When they’re on their way, it’s Amberle who breaks the silence almost immediately, “So, what are your plans when we get there?” She asks.

“Find a job, start a new life.” Eretria offers, shrugging, “I’ve been running away from my past for too long. This town seemed ideal; it’s far from home and they’ve got job offerings in the mines, or so I’ve heard.”

Amberle nods, and thinks that’s the end of it, when Eretria asks “What about you?”

The Elf sighs, staring at the floor, “I don’t know, honestly. I wanted to get as far away from home as possible, same as you, but I didn’t really have a plan as to what came next.”

“Well, you could always stay with me until you figure it out.” Eretria offers and Amberle gives her the widest smile.

-

The sun has set long ago when they finally make it to their destination. They decide to head to the town’s market, since there’ll probably be some inns nearby where they can spend the night. Once they get there, Eretria and Amberle head to the main stores to buy a few supplies first, since they’ve mostly run out of them by now.

The market is surprisingly crowded for this time of night. Eretria is trying to bargain the price of some furs for Amberle, when the Elf spots something in the crowd that has her a bit on edge; tall, brown hair, blue eyes. Someone she didn’t think she’d see again, nor did she want to.

“Can we go?” Amberle says, quickly turning around and tugging at Eretria’s elbow.

“Why the rush, Princess? The gentleman and I were finally coming to an agreement on those furs you wanted.” Eretria frowns, but gets moving nonetheless.

“Someone I need to avoid,” Is all Amberle offers as an explanation as they walk towards the nearest inn they can find.

‘The Three-Headed Horse’ is bustling, dimly lit, and has cheap prices, so the girls decide it will do for the night and sit on the bar to order some drinks. Once the ale is set in front of them, Amberle grabs her glass and chugs almost half of it before setting it down again. Eretria opts not to say anything at first, but by the time Amberle is halfway through her third glass and is laughing loudly at something a man sitting next to them said, Eretria decides to intervene.

“I think you should slow down with those drinks, Princess.” She suggests placing her hand on top of Amberle’s when she goes to raise the glass again.

“You know who that was back there?” She slurs as she points towards the general direction of the door. Eretria shakes her head no, briefly looking that way.

“It was Lorin. As in Lorin my fiancée,” Amberle says, laughing again at Eretria’s surprised expression. “So, why hold back on the drinks when I’m probably gonna get dragged back home any second.”

“You’re engaged?” Eretria asks again, dumbstruck.

“Well, it’s not like I want to be.” Amberle responds, rolling her eyes at Eretria as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “My grandfather set me up. It’s convenient for him, you know, since Lorin is the son of an important nobleperson back home.” She tries to gesture with her hands, but ends up spilling most of the content of her glass on herself.

“Whoa, Princess,” Eretria stands up. “Come on, that’s enough for you, let’s get you cleaned up.”

The human takes the glass from Amberle’s hands and sets it down on the bar before offering her hand to Amberle. She’s trying to lead them to the restroom, but it gets harder when Amberle slings her arm around Eretria and supports half her weight on her. She plans to talk to the owner about getting a room while Amberle cleans up, and she’s about to open the door to the restroom when the Elf supports all her weight on Eretria, making her end up against the wall.

“Whoa,” Amberle giggles, her face suddenly inches away. “You’re pretty.” She breathes, “I don’t wanna marry him, y’know, I don’t really like him. But you…” She trails off, and Eretria thinks that’s the end of it when Amberle leans in slow, painfully slow, and softly touches their lips in a brief kiss. When Amberle pulls away Eretria can see her eyes going wide, and she’s already backing away and spitting out a thousand apologies.

So Eretria pulls her back in and kisses her again.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is unbetaed so any and all mistakes are mine. Feel free to leave me a comment if u find any!


End file.
